The Wellness Briefing – Edition No. 12: “The Confidence-Competence Gap” | September 16, 2025
Quick, high-impact wellness insights for ambitious professionals. Delivered Tuesdays.
Welcome Back to The Wellness Briefing
Feeling unsure doesn’t mean you’re underqualified. It might mean you’re in a growth zone. Let’s unpack the sneaky stress loop between competence, self-doubt, and chronic overwork.
Let’s begin.
🧠 1 Insight Worth Reading: Imposter syndrome doesn’t mean you’re faking it. It often means you’re in it—in the process of evolving into something harder and bigger than you’ve done before.
Imposter syndrome typically shows up when we decide to take on new roles or new responsibilities, and it can result in feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, and guilt.
Three critical attributes of the phenomenon:
Thinking that people have an exaggerated view of your abilities
The fear of being exposed as a fraud
The continuous tendency to downplay your achievements
“Those who experience imposter syndrome may end up sabotaging their own success, obsessing over minor mistakes, or working twice as hard to prove themselves as a result.” Read full article on Harvard Business Review.
💡 What That Means for You: The more competent you become, the more you’ll stretch into roles that feel new. Doubt can be a sign of expansion, not failure.
✅ Try This: Keep a “Proof File”—a digital or physical folder of:
Wins and thank-you(s)
Testimonials or performance reviews
Screenshots of impact
Visit it when your brain says, “You’re not good enough.”
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